Digital Commons Network^™

The Living Library Of Dune, Josey W. Wilson

Architecture Theses

This thesis investigates how language – as a natural, poetic force – can serve as a generative tool in architectural design. It argues that architecture must reclaim its mythopoetic roots, and that through the reintegration of narrative and literary language, built space can once again become a vessel for memory, cultural identity, and transformation.

As both a method and muse, Frank Herbert’s Dune becomes the central literary source for my resulting architectural design. This subjective translation takes form in The Living Library of Dune, a project located in Tacoma, Washington.

The final design of this thesis does not simply present …

Aging With Purpose: Reimagining Senior Living Environments, Philip Wyganowski

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the design and development of living environments for the elderly, focusing on enhancing their quality of life through thoughtful architecture, community engagement, and sustainable practices. As populations age and increase, the need for specialized environments that cater to the unique needs of the elderly has become increasingly pressing. However, current assisted living facilities often fail to provide dignified living environments and can lead to social isolation. The research investigates how designing with intent, through philosophy and meaningful spaces can revolutionize senior living, management, and engagement. By incorporating these elements there is an enhancement of not only the …

Wuelbefannen: Architecture Of Perception, Enya Weinandt

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores how architectural design can positively challenge human and user perception to promote mindfulness and relaxation. Set in Luxembourg City, the study explores the intersection of the phenomenology of perception, metaphysics, and architecture, specifically space and time. It examines how sensory and spatial elements can be manipulated to create environments that transcend conventional experiences. The research includes theories of perception and metaphysics, as well as research about sensory design as a framework for designing spaces that engage with existential and experiential dimensions beyond the five senses. The project's design project will be a spiritual retreat, applying these concepts …

Streamlining Happiness: Reconnecting The Minneapolis Community Through Restorative Design Practices, Ayden K. Highet

Landscape Architecture Theses

Located in Minneapolis Minnesota, Upper Terminal Harbor is a post-industrial restorative design park. Using restorative design measures, and community connecting techniques, this design aims to bring the community together to connect with people and nature. Furthermore, the use of best management practices to help heal the effects of Urban Stream Syndrome along the Mississippi River shoreline.

Genetics, Manifestations, And Management Of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia, Shubh Desai, Oliver M Moore, Xander H T Wehrens

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose of review: Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a devastating heritable channelopathy that can lead to sudden cardiac death in children and young adults. This review aims to explore genetics, the cardiac and extracardiac manifestations of mutations associated with CPVT, and the challenges involved with managing phenotypically variable variants.

Recent findings: The understanding of the genetics and mechanisms of CPVT continues to grow with recent discoveries including alternative splicing of cardiac TRDN and calmodulin gene variants. Additionally, there is an increasing recognition of the extra-cardiac manifestations such as epilepsy, neurodevelopmental delay, and glucose homeostasis abnormalities in RyR2 variant carriers. …

Diverse Residents' Experiences Of Policing And Attitudes Towards Law Enforcement: Findings From A Large Community-Based Survey In San José, California, Soma De Bourbon, Michael Dao, Melissa Mc Clure Fuller, William Armaline, Curtis Asplund, Rachel Kumar, Daniel Desanto, Jaala Robinson, Derrick Sanderlin, Miranda Worthen

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Despite widespread debate on public safety policy, few studies explore diverse community members’ perspectives on safety and policing. This community-based participatory research study assessed perspectives on city spending, opinions about law enforcement policy, perspectives on police and safety, direct experiences with police, and perspectives on alternatives to policing in San José, California, one of the ten largest cities in the United States. Between July 27, 2021 – January 14, 2022, we conducted an online survey, available in 7 languages, and obtained 1,595 responses. Respondents supported increased funding for community safety resources (73%) and helping residents meet basic needs (67%). A …

Ageless Village: A Cohousing Retirement Community Focused On Connection And Wellness, Madison Peterson

Architecture Theses

Ageless Village is an innovative cohousing community in New London, Minnesota, designed to support aging in place through accessible architecture, intergenerational engagement, and wellness-focused amenities. Comprising 48 residential units and a network of communal spaces, the project integrates private living with shared resources, fostering autonomy and social connection for older adults. The site’s organization on an isometric grid enhances safety and walkability, while connections to local schools and an adjacent assisted living center promote intergenerational interaction and care continuity. Drawing on international precedents and best practices in gerontology and design, Ageless Village addresses the limitations of traditional senior housing by …

Sustainable Lodge: How To Enhance Local Economy Through Eco-Tourism In The Mountain Regions Of Ecuador, Giuliana Galindo-Mata

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the potential of sustainable tourism infrastructure to generate meaningful economic and social change in the mountain regions of Ecuador. Centered on the design of Condor Lodge, a sustainable eco-lodge located in Alpamalag de Acurios, Pujilí, the project addresses four core objectives: environmental sustainability, social and cultural preservation, economic revitalization, and innovative design. Through passive systems, local materials, and community engagement, the lodge demonstrates how architecture can strengthen cultural identity, promote local employment, and support regenerative tourism. This thesis integrates precedent analysis, site-specific strategies, and projected economic impacts to propose a model for responsible tourism development in the …

Bridging America: Reclaiming Rail For People, Planet, And Progress, Emma Clark

Architecture Theses

Bridging America presents a long-term, phased strategy to reestablish passenger rail as the most viable mode of transportation in the United States within the next 50 years. Through an analysis of historical patterns, environmental urgency, and societal well-being, the thesis proposes a national rail network centered on modular train design and human-centered station architecture. Three phased sites beginning in Nashville and expanding regionally demonstrate how infrastructure can reconnect communities, reduce carbon emissions, and foster regional identity. While challenges remain in fully resolving modular train functionality and long-distance adaptability, the work opens pathways for future research in AI integration, operational logistics, …

Creating Home: A Study Of Home-Like Environments In Long-Term Care Facilities, Cayden Henning

Architecture Theses

The population of aging Americans is increasing at an unprecedented rate. Many older adults develop deep emotional connections to their homes and communities, where they have built memories and a strong sense of identity over time. However, a range of factors can impact their ability to remain in these familiar environments. As seniors age in place, they often experience declining health, a higher risk of injury, and a reduced capacity for independent living, leading to increased needs for assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. Being forced from one’s home can be emotionally and psychologically distressing. This …

Echoes Of The Land: A Pilgrimage Of Wilderness And Spirit, Andrea Frank

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores how architecture can bridge humanity and the natural world, restoring a connection eroded by technology, overconsumption, and distraction. While cities offer curated encounters with nature, they cannot replace the deep peace found in wilderness. This connection is essential to humanity’s survival. If humanity fails to understand its relationship with the environment and engage with it responsibly, it jeopardizes the ecological balance of the world and humanity’s own existence.

Architecture, once in dialogue with nature, now often serves function, spectacle, or profit. This work reimagines architecture as a mediator that fosters kinship with the earth through a threefold …

Being Cognizant Of Young Adult Mental Health: Aiding Healing Through Architecture, Garrett Laurance Kleven

Architecture Theses

Many people in the world are and have gone through mental health struggles at some point in their lives. Young adulthood is a time of life where there is a lot of opportunity and growth. With this comes much stress and anxiety. To combat the growing mental health concern, there is a need for places that people, including young adults, to go to if they need help. Architecture can play a large role in aiding the healing process for young adults and giving them resources to get better. When designing buildings and spaces that evoke healing, provide valuable resources, and …

The Relationship Between The Language Arts And Architectural Design: How Writing Becomes Architecture, Alyssa Mancilman

Architecture Theses

This project explores the relationship between the language arts and architectural design, forming two approaches to convert writing into architecture. The first approach is completed manually, while the second uses computer software and artificial intelligence. Both methods consider space syntax and shape grammar theories. The project also investigates the impact natural environments have on creativity and information regarding writer’s block. Using this research, a retreat center is designed to give writers a place to step away from a city scene, find inspiration, and focus on their work. Located in rural Western Wyoming, the Salt River Retreat Center for Writers is …

Unalome: Cultural And Environmental Approaches To Transforming Vietnam's Ktt Apartments Into Flourishing Communities, Tam Junior Le

Architecture Theses

This research aims to redefine the design of spaces to maximize functionality within condensed environments. In the highly dense urban context of Hanoi, Vietnam, affordable housing remains out of reach for many, particularly college students and blue-collar workers. The limited options available to these groups often fail to meet basic standards of sustainability, health, and well-being. By investigating Vietnam's housing challenges, historical trends, and strategies that promote positive impacts on human well-being, this study seeks to develop solutions that address the needs of underserved populations. The ultimate goal is to transform Vietnam's urban areas into equitable hubs of housing and …

Flat Pack Futures: Designing Affordable Rental Homes For Disassembly And Reuse In Minnesota, Shaptarshi Das Gupta

Architecture Theses

This research aims to investigate how flat-pack component-based prefabrication and circular design can be leveraged to address the housing affordability crisis in cold-climate urban environments. Based in the context of the redevelopment of Minneapolis's Upper Harbor Terminal, this thesis offers a novel paradigm of affordable, resilient, and regenerative housing model. The project responds to a severe shortage of affordable rental units in Minnesota, where nearly half of all renters are cost-burdened and traditional construction methods are inefficient, wasteful, and environmentally unsustainable. With a flat-pack construction strategy, the proposed system enables off-site manufacture, rapid on-site assembly, and future disassembly with zero …

Algae-Powered Facades: Harnessing Biofuel For Sustainable Architecture, Ethan Ahlstrand Weber

Architecture Theses

This thesis explores the integration of biophilic systems into a sustainable office building in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The project demonstrates how these systems can generate renewable energy, sequester carbon, and enhance environmental performance. Calculations revealed that the algae façade, producing 80 grams of biomass per square meter daily, offsets approximately 20% of the building’s annual energy consumption through biofuel conversion. The green roof not only contributes to carbon sequestration but also harvests rainwater to support algae cultivation. Using Excel for initial energy calculations and the Revit BIM model for advanced analysis, this research provides a replicable framework for integrating energy …

A Story Of Service: Thoughts On Commemorative Architecture And The Anti-Monument, Cody D. Williamson

Architecture Theses

United States service members and their courageous actions have been the subject of countless monuments and memorials. Most of these are dedicated to events of the past. Never has design told a story about current military members and some of the unseen battles they fight on a regular basis. This thesis will seek to understand individual and communal memory faculties as well as learn from contemporary artistic expressions that focus on the recall of the past. The anti-monument will serve as a case study and combine with these insights to create a memorial that is dedicated to soldiers who have …

Impact Of Architectural Acoustics On Human Emotion, Robert Reber

Architecture Theses

People are subjected to a variety of soundscapes that may cause stress or limit recovery after a stressful event. It is important to find exactly what causes these stressors in the built environment so they can be eliminated. This study explores and categorizes the effects that different simulated acoustic spaces have on the emotions of the participants of the study. These simulated spaces are all designed to test a different architectural element. Change in emotion was measured with a mixture of biometrics and emotional survey data. Biometric data collected heart rate and electrodermal activity, both measurements of change in emotion.. …

Resilient Land Development Strategies For Hurricane-Prone Communities In Grand Bahama, Garrett Lieberg

Landscape Architecture Theses

This thesis explores resilient, off-grid land development strategies for hurricane-prone communities on Grand Bahama Island, with a focus on post-disaster housing, integrated stormwater management, and mangrove restoration. Designed in response to systemic failures during Hurricane Dorian, this project proposes a decentralized community model supported by modular container homes, solar power, and rainwater harvesting systems. Emphasis is placed on using nature-based solutions—especially the protective role of mangroves—to reduce flood risk and enhance long-term resilience. The site design integrates stormwater retention landscapes with ecological buffers, providing both environmental protection and community benefit. Drawing from interviews, local site conditions, and precedent studies, the …

Ecosymphony: The Human-Nature Dialogue: Restoring The Ohio River Through Landscape Architecture In Louisville, Kentucky, Jayden Nadgwick

Landscape Architecture Theses

Riparian areas are delicate ecological zones that support a wide range of ecosystems, that work together to create rich and healthy habitats. Today, these zones are under threat due to pollutants, flooding, and industrial development along riverbanks. The Ohio River, ranked as one of the most endangered rivers in the United States, is a clear example of how these threats impact the health of the rivers. These threats have led to significant habitat loss and declining health of ecosystems, impacting not only the natural environment but also the well-being of surrounding communities.

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, along the Ohio River. …

From Institution To Inspiration: A Student-Centered Vision For Horace High, Mason Stanius

Architecture Theses

This thesis proposes a High-School design that is centered around biophilic design, optimized daylight strategies, and attention to special arrangements in classrooms. To which, is all intended to revolve round, and support the direct user, the student. Careful attention to school layout and design allows students to thrive in educational environments, by addressing the root cause of distractions, resentment of school, and academic performance outside of curriculum changes. Intimate classrooms where students can focus in a dynamic environment, supplied by plentiful natural light, and subtlety cloaked in biophilic and biomimic design throughout the campus. Through these biophilic forms, thoughtful organization, …

Reclaiming The Street: Designing Suburban Regional Corridors For Public Life And Multimodal Transit In Mounds View, Mn, Brayden Michael Kirk

Architecture Theses

In the United States, and overdependence on private vehicles has led to an urban landscape that hasn’t prioritized other modes of transportation. This thesis seeks to address the entrenched overdependence on the car, and the separated land uses it encourages, by rethinking the role that regional transportation corridors play in suburban development. An investigation of suburban development patterns, the historical and cultural evolution of streets, and contemporary trends in planning and design highlights the need for alternatives to existing suburban regional corridors. The resulting design aims to address car dependency by offering flexible, context-sensitive alternatives that emphasize the importance of …

Apex Experience: Mountains And Gastro-Tourism, Mataiah Turner

Architecture Theses

This thesis addresses the underutilization of the top of the mountain located at Park City, Utah due to an existing restaurant that is characterized by outdated architecture, minimal space, and seasonal closures. To maximize the full potential that the site has for user experience, a new restaurant concept, The Apex, was designed. The Apex is a multi-faceted restaurant designed to allow for multiple dining experiences, views, and a place to rest. By capturing the panoramic views, utilizing alpine architecture to blend with mountain landscape, and catering to the many mountain adventurers, The Apex becomes a beacon within the mountain that …

Establishing A Comprehensive Cancer Center: Integrating Holistic Care To Enhance The Well-Being Of Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment, Morgan Rae Nelson

Architecture Theses

Cancer treatment is both physically and emotionally taxing, often intensified by care environments that prioritize clinical efficiency over holistic patient well-being. Thoughtful architectural design has the potential to transform these spaces into therapeutic environments that address the mental, emotional, and physical needs of patients. While holistic care models have gained traction, many facilities lack design elements that promote mental resilience, relaxation, and community connection.

Despite advancements in cancer care, a significant gap remains in how design addresses the mental and emotional well-being of patients. Many facilities continue to prioritize functionality over creating environments that foster holistic healing. This thesis investigates …

Cultural Sustainability In Architecture: A Reinterpretation Of Kensington's Narrative, Madeline Elizabeth Knoll

Architecture Theses

Kensington is often defined by a narrative of crisis and neglect, yet beneath this surface lies a resilient, creative community. This thesis reframes Kensington through cultural sustainability, envisioning the neighborhood as a mosaic of identities shaped by reflection, learning, and growth. The architecture becomes a living palimpsest, where history and resilience converge. Strategies like cross-cultural variation, social design, place attachment, and well-being inform every spatial and programmatic decision. The Kensington Cultural Center is conceived as a mosaic, with each space expressing spirit and identity, and connective paths binding the whole. Materials reference the area’s industrial past, while the carved exterior …

Overlapping Clinical Phenotypes In Patients With Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Or Activated Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Delta Syndrome, Adam J Shapiro, Eveline Y Wu, Deborah J Morris-Rosendahl, Kenneth N Olivier, Sharon D Dell, Scott D Sagel, Cullen M Dutmer, Ricardo A Mosquera, Markus Rose, Michael G O'Connor, Chi A Ma, Gulbu Uzel, Timothy J Vece, Maimoona A Zariwala, Michael R Knowles, Margaret W Leigh, Stephanie D Davis, Thomas W Ferkol

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Primary ciliary dyskinesia and activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome type 1 present similarly, with recurrent respiratory infections and reduced nasal nitric oxide levels. When diagnostic confirmation of primary ciliary dyskinesia with genetic testing and/or ciliary electron microscopy is inconclusive, activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome type 1 and other inborn errors of immunity must be investigated.

Precision Proteogenomics Reveals Pan-Cancer Impact Of Germline Variants, Fernanda Martins Rodrigues, Nadezhda V Terekhanova, Kathleen J Imbach, Karl R Clauser, Myvizhi Esai Selvan, Isabel Mendizabal, Yifat Geffen, Yo Akiyama, Myranda Maynard, Tomer M Yaron, Yize Li, Song Cao, Erik P Storrs, Olivia S Gonda, Adrian Gaite-Reguero, Akshay Govindan, Emily A Kawaler, Matthew A Wyczalkowski, Robert J Klein, Berk Turhan, Karsten Krug, D R Mani, Felipe Da Veiga Leprevost, Alexey I Nesvizhskii, Steven A Carr, David Fenyö, Michael A Gillette, Antonio Colaprico, Antonio Iavarone, Ana I Robles, Kuan-Lin Huang, Chandan Kumar-Sinha, François Aguet, Alexander J Lazar, Lewis C Cantley, Urko M Marigorta, Zeynep H Gümüş, Matthew H Bailey, Gad Getz, Eduard Porta-Pardo, Li Ding

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We investigate the impact of germline variants on cancer patients' proteomes, encompassing 1,064 individuals across 10 cancer types. We introduced an approach, "precision peptidomics," mapping 337,469 coding germline variants onto peptides from patients' mass spectrometry data, revealing their potential impact on post-translational modifications, protein stability, allele-specific expression, and protein structure by leveraging the relevant protein databases. We identified rare pathogenic and common germline variants in cancer genes potentially affecting proteomic features, including variants altering protein abundance and structure and variants in kinases (ERBB2 and MAP2K2) impacting phosphorylation. Precision peptidome analysis predicted destabilizing events in signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA) and glial …

Advancing Marine Animal Movement Studies Using An Open Innovation Framework, Jacob Levenson

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the application of open innovation to migratory marine animal movement studies, addressing critical challenges in understanding, managing and ultimately conserving highly mobile and migratory species (HMMS). The species examined herein, including manta rays, sea turtles, and marine mammals, face threats including habitat disruption and behavioral changes to adapt to anthropogenic stressors. Traditional monitoring techniques, while valuable, are often costly, limited in scale, and protected by proprietary intellectual property, all of which decrease accessibility. Ambitious conservation goals, such as protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, require more data that are indubitably sharable and thus will need to …

Legacy Liabilities For Oil And Gas Wells Under The Mineral Leasing Act, Martin Lockman, Ashwin Murthy, Romany M. Webb

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

The federal government is the largest landowner in the United States. The bulk of federal land is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”), an agency within the Department of the Interior (“DOI”) that manages more than 245 million acres or approximately 10% of the land in the United States. Below the ground, BLM’s authority reaches even further. In total, BLM controls around 700 million acres of minerals — 30% of the onshore mineral resources in the United States, spanning an area larger than Argentina. The enormous scale of oil and gas production on federal land has created a …

Wb5, A Novel Biomarker For Monitoring Efficacy And Success Of Mass Drug Administration Programs For Wuchereria Bancrofti Elimination, Rachel E. Pietrow, Catherine Bjerum, Benjamin G. Koudou, Taniawati Supali, Philip J Budge, Peter U. Fischer, Thomas B. Nutman, Sasisekhar Bennuru

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The success of mass drug administration at reducing the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis in endemic areas has led to an increased need for highly sensitive and specific diagnostic assays. To be useful in post-elimination surveillance in areas with low to zero prevalence, high test performance characteristics are required to enable the early detection of infection recrudescence. As current testing suffers from either sensitivity or specificity levels that fail to meet adopted target product profiles, additional targets that could be used as confirmatory tests or in multiplexed assays could overcome these issues. To this end, bioinformatic analyses coupled with stage-specific expression …